Monday, October 31, 2011

London and determinism

I haven't written anything lately. I visited in London and that was quite nice journey! Here are some photos and my philosophy essay about determinism! I have written about domestic violence and today I have to write an essay for English lesson. I'm very pleased while learning English more! (i don't know if i can say that this way)

Spinoza writes that people really think that they are doing all kind of actions because of their own free will. An infant believes that of its own free will it desires milk, a drunken man believes that he utters from the free decision of his mind words which he would otherwise (when he isn't drunk) keep as a secret.

A delirious man and garrulous woman believe that they speak from the free decision of their mind, when they are in reality unable to restrain their impulse to talk. He thinks that everyone believe themselves to be free, simply because they are conscious of their actions and unconscious of their causes whereby those actions are determined.

It's true that a human being's life is very confined when he/she realises only its actions but not the reasons. If a human being wants to see clearly different alternatives, he/she must consider the reasons. But Spinoza writes about different kind of reasons. The mind works under the body so we don't notice all the reasons which are leading us. The dictates of the mind are just another name for biological needs.

According to Spinoza all actions are determined. A thought about determined world is very restrictive. If world is determined everything goes inexorably because of the reasons or because of the goal. No one can think or act because of their own free will, everyone is bound to physics.

If Spinoza thinks that the substance of a human being is only material then it's logical to claim that the body works under the laws of physics. There are some problems; if the body is just a material machine why we can't build it artifically? Other problems handle about the morality.

A human being can't be morally responsible from its acts if he/she hasn't been able to make its own decisions. How anyone can be able to make their own decisions if there isn't any free will? There is no place for free will if everything is determined.

What you think? Is everything just determined or is there place for free will?